An injured pensioner has added her voice to criticisms of a new stretch of pavement after taking a tumble on Stockton High Street.

Norton grandmother, Mary Haines, broke her wrist when she fell from the kerb while crossing the road.

The 89-year-old said: “To me it all looked level, but there is a little kerb.”

She explained that she was out shopping when she fell near The Shambles.

Helped by a member of staff from the nearby Age Concern store Mary said: “I knew that I had broken my wrist. It was horrendous.

“I had just gone out to do a bit of shopping.

“I normally go all over by myself but this has been a big shock to me.”

The mum-of-two was taken to North Tees University Hospital by ambulance.

She is the latest in a line of shoppers to slam the new stretch of paving which forms part of a major revamp of Stockton High Street.

The work on the pavement was completed three weeks ago, but concerns have been raised in recent weeks.

New paving in Stockton (Image: Picture by Katie Lunn)

As reported in the Gazette Jean Roberts, from Thornaby, was visiting the town centre when she stumbled over the kerb and broke her arm.

The 64-year-old said: “I got off the bus at the bus stops and I didn’t realise there was a difference in the level so I tripped and broke my arm in two places.”

Tracy Littlefair, from Billingham, also fell off the kerb outside Goldies near the post office. She had to go to hospital the following day suffering a badly sprained ankle.

Pensioner Mary, who fell on June 29, is still in plaster.

The grandmother said: “This has knocked me sideways.”

She would like to thank the worker from Age Concern who stayed with her until the ambulance arrived.

A Stockton Council spokesperson said: “The new-look Stockton High Street is a high quality scheme and has been designed in close conjunction with independent accessibility experts as well as stakeholder groups representing people with disabilities and those who are partially-sighted.

“Public safety has been a key consideration throughout the design of the scheme and aspects such as the kerb line have been assessed by experts, who reported that the design reflects national best practice. We are very sorry to hear of any injuries and are carrying out a full investigation.”